Sunday, July 24, 2011

We sat at the pizza dinner/raffle at the same table as the lady who started The American Tarantula Society in 1991. She is an 8th grade science teacher right now.She had 2 sons that shared her tarantula hobby as they were growing up.

She had 1,000 (yes, that's not a typo) tarantulas when her oldest son got meningitis at 18 years old and died in 1998.

Since it was a shared hobby with her boys she couldn't even go into her tarantula room any more and they started dying. She lost over half of them before her youngest son helped pull her out of her well of despair and they could start caring for them again.

This was the 13th annual Tarantula Society Conference and the first one she was able to come to even though she was the original founder of the idea and others had to take over when her heart breaking tragedy occurred.

She's on the other side of the pain...as they say....but her story stabbed my heart.

You sure can't just look at a person and see what scars they may be carrying inside.

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Are you interested in knowing about tarantula burrows in the Arizona desert? If so, read on. If not, then run away to something else on the web. Hey...speaking of "web".....that's what this is about.

That's how you identify a tarantula hole from a hole that is not as much fun to explore. You look for the soft webbing across the hole. It's a very subtle thing and hard to spot...at least for me....not so much for Jacob.

Then you insert a tiny soft stick inside and "tickle" it out. It thinks it food and is intrigued and either comes out fast and quick or more tenuous and slowly. You never know.

You can also pour a little water into the hole and that encourages them to come out.

Jacob will sometimes start digging to discover the tunnel of the burrow if he thinks it went way down into it's hole. He gets in that hunter mode.

Jake and I took a long night walk in the dark of night (with a guide) into the mountains looking for tarantulas in their burrows and scorpions under a black light. It was an incredible adventure. Knowing that there were rattlesnakes around us, we treaded carefully.

It was a lovely 85 degrees with a slight breeze. Nonetheless, walking up the gradual incline made me sweaty. Or, maybe it was the thought of the snakes, I'm not sure.

I really liked walking in the dark. I'm not sure why. Usually I don't like the dark. I leave lots of lights on in my house. But this was a beautiful adventure.

I even took one of those scenery pictures that probably a million people have taken just before we set out. I think I'll make it my new computer desktop picture.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

I packed like "Monk" I was told. If you've watched Monk you know what I mean. If you haven't, it's...well, a little obsessive compulsive. I packed like I was going into the wilderness and not a big city like Tucson, Arizona where I could BUY something if I forgot to pack it. I even contemplated looking on the internet to see if there was an Apple Store nearby in case I forgot some important cord for my ipad, iphone or camera. But I think I've got it all...and then some.

We left the house at 5 a.m. and headed to the airport. Everything went so smoothly it was almost like gliding on air. We had pre-printed boarding passes so we just dropped off our luggage and then went to the security line. It was a long line but clipped right along on the same smooth air we were sailing on. (Didn't have to show any I.D. for Jacob) Jacob just took off his vest and shoes and put his phone in the box and I did the same except I also had a backpack. I think this is the first time ever that I didn't beep when I went thru the scanner. I usually forget something in my pocket.

Then we sailed over to our boarding area with a quick stop for some bottled water to insert into the special pocket in our matching ScottE vests that both Jake and I are wearing.

We hardly had to wait any time before boarding and we liked the seats Susie picked out for us in row #10. Although we sat in row 11 instead. They all look the same. The couple whose seats we were in didn't care and just moved up to row 10. Jacob got the window seat and set up his homework right away and I got on my ipad.

We are almost in Tuck-son (Tucson) so we have to keep saying the name right soon. Pilot said it's 83 degrees there and some clouds. Jake has been enjoying the window seat on both flights. He just saw another plane fly by us and spotted a low flying blimp.

I packed like "Monk" I was told. If you've watched Monk you know what I mean. If you haven't, it's...well, a little obsessive compulsive. I packed like I was going into the wilderness and not a big city like Tucson, Arizona where I could BUY something if I forgot to pack it. I even contemplated looking on the internet to see if there was an Apple Store nearby in case I forgot some important cord for my ipad, iphone or camera. But I think I've got it all...and then some.

We left the house at 5 a.m. and headed to the airport. Everything went so smoothly it was almost like gliding on air. We had pre-printed boarding passes so we just dropped off our luggage and then went to the security line. It was a long line but clipped right along on the same smooth air we were sailing on. (Didn't have to show any I.D. for Jacob) Jacob just took off his vest and shoes and put his phone in the box and I did the same except I also had a backpack. I think this is the first time ever that I didn't beep when I went thru the scanner. I usually forget something in my pocket.

Then we sailed over to our boarding area with a quick stop for some bottled water to insert into the special pocket in our matching ScottE vests that both Jake and I are wearing.

We hardly had to wait any time before boarding and we liked the seats Susie picked out for us in row #10. Although we sat in row 11 instead. They all look the same. The couple whose seats we were in didn't care and just moved up to row 10. Jacob got the window seat and set up his homework right away and I got on my ipad.

Search Here

marlysshollyer@gmail.com

Our websites

About Me

I live on a small lake in Michigan and that's where I work from. I live very close to my 2 daughters and grandchildren. We all have a great time together and Stacey, my youngest daughter, works with me making party decorations that we ship nationwide and also deliver locally in Michigan.